Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 172

To put it bluntly, whatever Shipley had done for her was nothing more than paying off a debt for Vianne’s past mistakes.

For years now, Silvia had run herself ragged for Shipley’s sake. She’d more than repaid what she owed.

Her expression was icy, and as Silvia spoke, her gaze never once landed on Shipley. She treated him as if he were invisible.

Seeing her so indifferent, Shipley faltered, the warmth in his eyes fading, his smile slipping just a little.

Silvia had called him trash.

How could that be?

His sweet Silvia would never say something so cruel to him—he was sure of it.

But that old anxiety he’d tried so hard to bury began to creep back in, tightening in his chest. Forcing a smile, Shipley tried to brush it all aside. “Come on, don’t joke like that with your big brother. It’s not funny at all.”

“In your eyes, this is just a joke?” Silvia, realizing that Shipley was as impossible to reach as ever, decided not to waste another minute. She waved her former colleagues over. “All right, everyone, come here. Let’s get your paperwork sorted.”

“Silvia.”

For the first time, Shipley didn’t use her nickname. His smile grew even brighter, voice gentle as velvet. “I don’t want you making a scene like this. These people are still my employees—their contracts are with me.”

Contracts?

Silvia let out a low, almost mocking laugh when she heard that.

Her eyes drifted to Vianne, who stood off to the side, visibly tense. Silvia said quietly, “Why not let her tell you whether those contracts still exist?”

“What do you mean?” Shipley’s gaze turned cold, but he couldn’t help glancing at Vianne.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify